My Back Yard : Macros

[tmlphoto]

Took a walk around the yard this afternoon after dinner. I was amazed at the variety of bugs I found in just a short time.

Spider:
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/25125461-L.jpg

A Dragon of course:
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/25125422-L.jpg

Not sure what this is:
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/25125429-L.jpg

I believe this is one of the infamous "Robber flies"
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/25125432-L.jpg

I have no idea what this is
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/25125451-L.jpg

A fly of some kind:
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/25125457-L.jpg

Sorry about the long post, but I'm just so excited about macro shots these days that I just had to share. Comments/critiques always appreciated.

[rahmonster]

That is the weirdest spider I have ever seen!

Great shots! What flash are you using just out of intrest?
I love macro shots, and yes, it's amazing what creepy crawlies you find if you start looking!:D

[tmlphoto]

That is the weirdest spider I have ever seen!

Great shots! What flash are you using just out of intrest?
I love macro shots, and yes, it's amazing what creepy crawlies you find if you start looking!:D
The flash is the Canon 580EX with a Lightsphere II attached. Thanks for looking.

[windoze]

i was in the backyard also today...
http://windoze.smugmug.com/photos/25128663-M.jpg
i dont use a flash and what is a lightsphere II??

your macros are GREAT! i love the dragon ( im too scared of them )

troy


The flash is the Canon 580EX with a Lightsphere II attached. Thanks for looking.

[tmlphoto]

Thanks for looking. You can check out the lightspere II here:
http://secure.mycart.net/catalogs/catalog.asp?prodid=3354218&showprevnext=1

[MuskyDude]

Man these are just terrific macros Thomas!!! Ultra sharp! :thumb Is the spider a daddy long-legs?


AJ

[tmlphoto]

Man these are just terrific macros Thomas!!! Ultra sharp! :thumb Is the spider a daddy long-legs?


AJ
Not the typical daddy long-legs that I have seen, much bigger body. The legs are surely long though :). Thanks for the positive feedback. Maybe someone out there can ID some of the mystery bugs.

[Higgmeister]

it's a spider and I don't like spiders:eek1. The shot is outstanding though; your DOF is excellent and very sharp. I'm beginning to think my lack of sharpness in my macros is coming from bad PP:dunno. All are good, but #2 stands out like #1. The colors and DOF are done very well:thumb.

Thanks for sharing your little garden of horrors...oops, I meant wonders:D.
Chris

[gubbs]

Great shots Thomas, which lens are you using??

The eyes on the spider are just weird :D

[Lord Vetinari]

Very good shots- first two are excellent.

Brian V.

[USAIR]

Very nice macro shots love em:thumb
Going to have to check out the lightspere II...looks like it does a good job

#3 is a Wheel Bug
#5 is a Hover Fly

Thanks
Fred

[tmlphoto]

Great shots Thomas, which lens are you using??

The eyes on the spider are just weird :D
Canon 100 2.8 macro on board.

[tmlphoto]

Very nice macro shots love em:thumb
Going to have to check out the lightspere II...looks like it does a good job

#3 is a Wheel Bug
#5 is a Hover Fly

Thanks
FredThanks for the IDs Fred.

[tmlphoto]

it's a spider and I don't like spiders:eek1. The shot is outstanding though; your DOF is excellent and very sharp. I'm beginning to think my lack of sharpness in my macros is coming from bad PP:dunno. All are good, but #2 stands out like #1. The colors and DOF are done very well:thumb.

Thanks for sharing your little garden of horrors...oops, I meant wonders:D.
Chris
Thanks for looking. Some of these bugs are pretty freaky looking when you see up close and personal :).

[tmlphoto]

Very good shots- first two are excellent.

Brian V.
Thanks Brian. I enjoy your macros and appreciate any suggestions you may have.

[John Mueller]

Wow Tom,this is some good stuff.:clap
I cant get my 100mm to produce images like that.

[Khaos]

Very nice Thomas. I really like that spider shot. Very cool comp.:thumb

[Lord Vetinari]

Thanks Brian. I enjoy your macros and appreciate any suggestions you may have.Feel a bit of a fraud answering this as remember I've only been at this for about 4 weeks now!
Think once you have got the technical side of the shots mastered. Think you need to think more about the composition and view of the insects. eg most insects look more dramatic if they are shot more side on (esp flies).
I'm not sure how much cropping you did on these pics but some of the flies are almost too tight in on the subject. Often you are better taking a less macro shot and getting greater DOF. Think if you look at my shots and other peeps shots that you like carefully you will see what I mean.
Just as an example here is a shot of mine (not cropped) where the actual fly is a fairly poor shot but I think the shot works because the background/colouring is almost surreal.

Brian V.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.valentine/CRW_3999c.jpg

[nzmacro]

Fred has them correct there. Also no robber fly there. Robber flies have large antennas that come from directly in front between the eyes Thomas. I'll do another series on Robber flies.

Fine sharp shots Thomas and your macro work is really looking great. You have different insects than us and I don't know if you realise how great it is to see them. I usually have to see quite a few shots and at different angles to know what you folks have. Slowly, I'm starting to understand though. So Just keep them coming :thumb

Danny.

[Dee]

I'm amazed at some of these macros! I'm so jealous! But how close to these insects do you get, and if really close, how do you avoid any shadows and/or scaring away the insects?

Great job! :clap

[Jekyll & Hyde]

J: Nice angles and lighting!

H: Focus can be sooo tough.

J: #1 looks to be a Harvestman spider (Daddy Long Legs).

H: #3 is definitely a Leaf Footed Bug (took me over a year to figure that one out USair, no worries).
http://www.pbase.com/jekyll_and_hyde/image/23530377

J: And you can go here to check on ID's:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/6/bgimage

H: I've gotta get the "sphere."
J&H

[tmlphoto]

J: Nice angles and lighting!

H: Focus can be sooo tough.

J: #1 looks to be a Harvestman spider (Daddy Long Legs).

H: #3 is definitely a Leaf Footed Bug (took me over a year to figure that one out USair, no worries).
http://www.pbase.com/jekyll_and_hyde/image/23530377

J: And you can go here to check on ID's:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/6/bgimage

H: I've gotta get the "sphere."
J&H
Thanks J&H, I noticed #3 didn't have the characteristic cog wheel on his back. Thanks for the ID help. Sure looks real similar to the ol' wheel bug tho.

[Jekyll & Hyde]

Thanks J&H, I noticed #3 didn't have the characteristic cog wheel on his back. Thanks for the ID help. Sure looks real similar to the ol' wheel bug tho.J: When I first saw a Leaf Footed Bug (and promptly photo'd it!), I thought it might be some sort of Assassin Bug (due to the long sucking proboscis).

H: However this bug (and it is a True Bug due to that proboscis), is a vegetarian. Thank goodness, cuz we have a LOT of them around here. And Assassin Bug bites can be extremely painful (like from the aforementioned Wheelbug).

J: Quite some time later, I ID'd it, due to the shape of its back leg (its namesake actually). If you look closely in your photo, You'll see the lower half of the rear leg (near the foot) gets wide (in some cases almost leaflike). Thus the name.

H: BTW, the angle you chose to shoot him/her from is the one I always thought was the coolest (with those big inquisitive eyes checking you out).
J&H

[USAIR]

J: Nice angles and lighting!

H: Focus can be sooo tough.

J: #1 looks to be a Harvestman spider (Daddy Long Legs).

H: #3 is definitely a Leaf Footed Bug (took me over a year to figure that one out USair, no worries).
http://www.pbase.com/jekyll_and_hyde/image/23530377

J: And you can go here to check on ID's:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/6/bgimage

H: I've gotta get the "sphere."
J&HJekyll is Hyde always a such a Mr. smarty pants about bugs?:D

Jekyll thanks for the good links (I think Hyde is right it is a Leaf Footed Bug) :doh

Hey Hyde :bad

Thanks
Fred

[Jekyll & Hyde]

Jekyll is Hyde always a such a Mr. smarty pants about bugs?:D

Jekyll thanks for the good links (I think Hyde is right it is a Leaf Footed Bug) :doh

Hey Hyde :bad J: Actually H doesn't really know squat about bugs.

H: And J has to look everything up!

But it sure is fun photographing them.
J&H

[Skippy]

Took a walk around the yard this afternoon after dinner. I was amazed at the variety of bugs I found in just a short time.

Spider:
A Dragon of course:
Not sure what this is:
I believe this is one of the infamous "Robber flies"
I have no idea what this is
A fly of some kind:
Sorry about the long post, but I'm just so excited about macro shots these days that I just had to share. Comments/critiques always appreciated.Well wasn't you lucky to find all those.....having plants has gotta help :rofl that's one thing I lack badly.....again by choice, cause I don't want to tend to a garden in my spare time.....cause spare time is something I don't get a lot of, especially during daylight hours.

So what set up are you using Thomas?

I was going to test out an EOS-Reveral Adapter today, but I took my Sony F828 for spin in the car :D haven't used it for such a long time, I decided to go find that dang train I've been looking for and today I found it :clap .
Thanks for sharing your joy of Macros Thomas...... Skippy (Australia)

[Commando Botanist]

The first picture is indeed a daddy longlegs (harvestman), but it's not a spider. :huh
Same taxonomic class (Arachnida), different order (Opiliones).

And now that I've subjected you to that pointless bit of trivia, I'll contribute a photo.

http://cloudhughes.smugmug.com/photos/26112784-M.jpg
Euchloe hyantis -- California Marble
Taken 3/16/05 at Fort Irwin National Training Center in the central Mojave desert

Oh, and hello all. I'm new here. My name is Michelle, and I'm a bio-geek. :D

[Jekyll & Hyde]

J: Hi Michelle. Welcome!

H: Nice contribution on both counts!

J: What a striking Moth!

H: Just kidding on the "moth" part. :D

J: Thanks for the info.

H: I'm sure we'll be enlisting your services in the future!
J&H

[tmlphoto]

Hey Skippy,
My setup is a Canon 100 2.8 macro with a 580EX with Lightsphere II diffuser. Right now the flash is mounted on the hotshoe, but I hope to get a macro bracket soon.

[tmlphoto]

The first picture is indeed a daddy longlegs (harvestman), but it's not a spider. :huh
Same taxonomic class (Arachnida), different order (Opiliones).
Welcome Commando. Thanks for the Entamology lesson. Taxonomy is not my strong point.

[Commando Botanist]

Welcome Commando. Thanks for the Entamology lesson. Taxonomy is not my strong point. Thanks, happy to be here. I really don't want to come off as some total know-it-all. I don't know diddly-squat about insects or much of anything else for that matter! :scratch I've just found identifying stuff in a semi-public way like this to be excellent practice because it actually forces me to do some research before I'm willing to assign an identity. Also, my brain seems to be much better at remembering things like the difference between spiders and daddy longlegs than, say, where I left my keys/wallet/macro lens/etc. :D

Cheers!

[DRT-Maverick]

Your images are crystal. Do you suggest I use a tripod instead of just my hands to get such clean images?

[tmlphoto]

Thanks, happy to be here. I really don't want to come off as some total know-it-all. I don't know diddly-squat about insects or much of anything else for that matter! :scratch I've just found identifying stuff in a semi-public way like this to be excellent practice because it actually forces me to do some research before I'm willing to assign an identity. Also, my brain seems to be much better at remembering things like the difference between spiders and daddy longlegs than, say, where I left my keys/wallet/macro lens/etc. :D

Cheers!
No problem. I read your ,my story thread. sounds like interesting work. Eugene Odum was at UGA I believe, back when I was in school.

[Netgarden]

Thomas that spider is unreal! Nice shots. I have never seen one like it. It looks more like it fits under the sea like a squid or something! Its way cool!:clap ...back to reading the links from Jeckyll...

Very nice Thomas. I really like that spider shot. Very cool comp.:thumb

[tmlphoto]

Your images are crystal. Do you suggest I use a tripod instead of just my hands to get such clean images?
I'm not sure if you are referrig to me or not, but here's my take on things. Use a tripod if you can, but I have been getting away with handheld shots. I use manual mode & set the shutter speed to 1/100 or 1/200 and then pick the aperture I want for depth of field ( usually f/8-f/22). I use the flash in ETTL mode and adjust with flash exposure compensation as needed. I use focus manually and then gently rock back & forth until I get the part I want in sharp focus. As unlikely as it sounds, it produces sharp shots most of the time.